Tout le monde déteste Fleur
by Veggiechick
Summary: Perhaps Fleur has a reason for being so snotty.


**A/N: This is a series of one-shots (or a multi-chaptered story, we'll see where it goes) in which Fleur inadvertently annoys the Weasley women-with the best of intentions, of course. Don't worry (or "sorry", depending on what language you speak) this is an english fic.**

Fleur Delacour, held out her hand for what felt like the millionth time to look at the modest pearl that had graced her finger since the previous night. She never tired of sneaking glances at it. Bill—Bill Weasley, her finance, _her_ Bill—stepped out of the kitchen of his flat and sat heavily next to her with a sigh. She rested her head on his shoulder, twisting her ring because of nervous fidgeting.

"Took me me an hour and a half just to make the meringue. And even then it was all…_solid_." Bill closed his eyes and leaned his head back as Fleur giggled at him.. "I gave up. We'll stop to pick something up from the Cauldron beforehand."

"Hm? A marriage in which neither partner can cook? Que Qu'est-ce une catastrophe!"

"_Non, il est parfait. Ni se sent inférieur ou coincé à la maison*. _And we get to eat out a lot. So there's that."

Fleur leaned over and gave her fiancée a kiss that he returned with much enthusiasm.

"I love it when you speak French."

"Qu'est-ce une coincidence**, I love it when you kiss me."

After a few minutes, Fleur spoke again.

"So…this is the night we tell them?"

"Yes…are you nervous?"

"_Moi_? No, no…of course not…?"

"Fleur. I like to pride myself that I know you enough by now to tell when you're uneasy."

"_Non_, I am very easy, perfectly at ease." But the fact that she kept twisting the ring around and around her finger gave her away. "Are you? Nervous, I mean."

"Of course, my mother terrifies me."

Fleur looked stricken and Bill laughed.

"But she'll love you. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Bill extracted his arm from between them and put it around her shoulders.

"And what about the rest of your family?"

"They'll love you."

"Hm," Fleur replied, uncertainly. "Are you sure we are doing the correct thing?"

"Yes," Bill said firmly. "Why?"

"It's just…the times, they are about to get very dangerous now…"

"What are you afraid of?"

"That one of us will not make it to the other side of the war."

"That could happen whether we get married or not."

"And if we have a baby…"

Bill was quiet. Then: "Do you love me?"

"Of course." Fleur looked into her fiancée's eyes. "You can always know that." Bill smiled and leaned in so that their noses were touching.

"I love you too—so I know we're doing the right thing."

"And…you truly think that your family will like me?"

"Definitely, just be yourself."

"Myself…yes, I will be myself." Fleur did not have much confidence in this plan.

* * *

Fleur swayed a bit as she and Bill appeared at the Weasley front gate. Bill put a hand on the small of her back to steady her, his other hand held the Cauldron-bought dessert that Fleur had sworn to profess as Bill's own creation.

"Ready?" She took a deep breath.

"Yes, I am ready."

The two walked, hand in hand towards the front door, but before they could reach it, Molly Weasely opened it and came bustling out.

"Oh, Bill, you're here! We've been holding dinner for you and—who's that?" Mrs. Weasley stopped in front of the couple, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. She seemed unaware of the slight rudeness of her abrupt inquiry.

"Mum this is my…" _It's now or never_, Bill thought. _And better now than never…I suppose…_"…fiancée—Fleur Delacour."

Mrs. Weasley's expression softened for a bit ("Oh, yes that girl from the triwizard tournemant!") before latching on to that one fatal word.

"Did you say…fiancée?"

Bill swallowed drily and tightened his hold of Fleur's hand.

"Y-yes," his voice came out an octave higher than usual and he cleared his throat. "Yes, mum, this is my fiancee. We're getting married soon."

Things were terrifyingly quiet. And then…

"Well then. Bring her in the house." Mrs. Weasley turned on the spot and walked back up the path to the Burrow, leaving the couple to scramble in her wake.

As they entered, Bill pointed out and named all of the family members in the house with the relief of a condemned man who has received an extension until his time with the electric chair.

"There's dad, tinkering at the kitchen table. He's simply mad for muggle stuff. That's Ron, the one who's sitting over there playing wizard chess with Fred…or is it George? Well, one of the twins anyway. The other one's over there doing…well I don't know what—probably nothing good. And there, on the couch, reading, is my baby sister Ginny."

Fleur smiled, "Yes, I think that her and I will be good friends." Bill grinned.

Molly stood in the doorway that connected the living room to the kitchen.

"Listen up everyone! Bill has brought his…fiancée, Fleur Delacour."

There was utter silence as everyone looked up.

Ron looked up and started with his mouth agape.

Fred and George looked up, looked around, rubbed their eyes and then looked back.

Arthur looked until Molly poked the back of his head with her wand.

Ginny looked up reluctantly from her book and then set it down immediately to gaze at Fleur with narrowed eyes.

Fleur had to break the awkward silence.

"So, I know that Charlie is still in Romania, but where is the other Weasley brother? Percy?"

This statement had the exact opposite effect that she had wished. Instead of cutting short the awkward silence, it extended on and on, until…

"Percy's not here right now, and he probably won't be back until his big, enormous, head shrinks enough to fit back in the door," said George.  
"George!" Molly said in a voice close to tears. "Hush!"

Arthur Weasley's mouth was in a tight, straight line.

Ginny seemed to be stifling giggles over George's comment.

Ron, of course, was still staring agape at Fleur.

Fleur looked over at Bill, wondering what she had said wrong. There was a grimace on his face.

As always, it was down to Fred and George to break the tension.

"Pleased to meet you," Fred and George stood up. "I'm Gred and he's Forge," they said at the exact same time.

"Hey, Bill, where's she bunking?" asked Fred. "She can stay in our room."

"We don't mind sharing," they, again, stated in unison.

Molly chimed in with an exasperated look on her face, seemingly recovered. "Fred! George! Table!"

The two boys slunk off to set the table in disappointment as Fleur tried to regain some sort of stability. However, she gave no outward sign of it. Whenever she was unsure of anything, she simply acted as if she was above it all.

"So—you are Ginny?" she asked turning toward the youngest Weasley, whom she hoped she would get along with the most. As the girl was neither a male that could unwillingly fall in love with Fleur (which had—accidentally! —happened before) nor the protective mother of her fiancée, Fleur saw this girl as a sort of safe haven.

"You are so little and cute! You remind me of my sister Gabrielle—you two are almost the same height. She turned nine last winter."

Ginny coolly raised her eyebrows with a "Is that so?" before avoiding Bill's stern glance and going back to her book. It was just then that Fleur realized a fifteen-year-old girl might not relish being likened to a nine-year old.

Fleur turned to Bill with a sort of desperation in her eyes.

"Hem! Ginny!" he said as his little sister exasperatedly looked up once again. "Why don't you go show Fleur her room, you can…find out about each other! Bond, and…and stuff," he ended lamely with an uncomfortable attempt at a grin on his face.

Fleur headed across the room towards the stairs, unaware of the silent and furious conversation Ginny and Bill were having behind her back. It ended in Ginny sighing dramatically and following Fleur towards the stairs.

"So, Ginny…" Fleur momentarily lost her train of thought as she heard Molly Weasley's voice from downstairs (_"…didn't even know you were dating anyone and you bring her to _my_ house, to _stay_ for the _SUMMER?_) _but tried to ignore it. "I hear that you are a, erm, sixth year, as they say?"

"Fifth," was Ginny's short answer.

"Yes, well, do you enjoy school?" Fleur was inwardly wincing at her own statement, but it seemed as she couldn't come up with anything better. When meeting new people (at least, new people whom she wanted to like her) her mind seemed to go blank.

"I suppose, more or less."

"I hear that you're on the Quidditch team…?"

"Yeah, as a chaser."

"Oh, I enjoy Quidditch, especially the Applebey Arrows. Never played it myself though—too messy." She laughed.

Ginny grunted in reply.

Suddenly something large and feathery flew at Fleur's face from a bookshelf along the wall, squawking like the lead singer of the Weird Sisters. Fleur screamed (only a bit) and swatted the thing to the ground.

"Don't!"

For a moment, Fleur thought Ginny was reprimanding the chicken now pruning itself (entirely unhurt) on the ground; but no, Ginny was glaring at her.

"That's Helga. She's a pet." Ginny bent to pick up the clucking hen.

"That thing…is a pet?"

"_She_ is, yes. She was my 9th birthday present. We don't cook her."

"Oh well, she has a beautiful color…"

"There's your room." Ginny abruptly stopped and pointed to a door at the end of the hall. "That one on the right. Bill had me, Fred and George smuggle your stuff in, so it should all be in there. Don't worry, Mum never goes in there: it used to be Percy's room."

"Oh, so you knew that…"

"That you and Bill were engaged? Yeah, I mean, all of us have known for about two weeks, saving mum."

"Well, thank you, for not telling."

"Yeah, you're welcome. Come down for dinner when you're ready."

Ginny left and Fleur walked the rest of the way to her room and opened her door. She sat on the bed and closed her eyes, imagining that she was back in France with her _maman_, father and her sister.

There was a knocking on the door. Fleur opened her eyes to see Bill leaning against the doorframe.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Oh yes, perfectly fine. Un chose***—you forgot to mention the _peu important_**** fact that your younger brother is apparently a—how do you say—_taboo_ in the household!"

Bill sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, erm, sorry. I didn't really think it was important…?"

"Oh no, not at all important. Just that it will leave me looking like _le fou*****_, when I talk about him won't it?"

Bill walked over to her apologetically, his hands out.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think it would come up! When we started dating, I didn't really want you to know…"

"Know what, exactly?"

Bill sighed.

"That my brother is an idiot who chose his job over his family. It wouldn't be so hard to forgive him, if he'd just admit he was wrong…"

Fleur softened when she saw the hurt look on Bill's face. She patted a spot next to her on the bed.

"Tell me what happened. Please."

Bill sat next to her and told her what Percy had done.

After being silent a while, Fleur spoke.

"Well, that sounds…unpleasant."

Bill snorted.

"Yeah, more than unpleasant. It's just about divided the whole family. Mom and Percy against us."

"Your mother? But I thought…"

"She doesn't agree with what he did, no; but he's her son. She'll stick up for him from time to time."

"Bill! Fleur! Dinner's all ready if you'd like to come down and join us!" Molly made no attempt to hide her annoyance as she mangled Fleur's name, pronouncing it _Flor_.

Bill laughed, stood up, and turned around to help Fleur up.

"I guess it's safe to go down then."

Fleur stood up and looked at him.

"They didn't seem to like me very much."

"They just have to get used to you. I promise, in two weeks we'll all be getting along like one big happy family."

Bill smiled that smile that Fleur could never help returning, and with slightly renewed hope she followed him into the hallway and down the stairs.

*No, it is perfect. Neither feels inferior or boring.

**What a coincidence.

***One thing

****slightly important

*****the fool

**PS: Those of you that know that Ginny's Pygmy Puff is named Arnold, and those of you that are also familiar with the show **_**Hey Arnold!**_** will understand why I named Ginny's favorite chicken is named Helga. Yes, Ginny has a favorite chicken. She loves animals, especially the fluffy ones. Trust me, I know these things.**

**PPS: I tried to write out Fleur's accent and just ended up adding a whole lot of 'Z's to words, so just imagine the prettiest French accent you've ever heard. That is what she sounds like.**


End file.
